ISC Daily News Summary

iNews explores the impact of the government's VAT on fees policy, which has resulted in increasing financial pressures for families with children at independent schools. Kate Hatton, a mother of two from Warwickshire, says she has had to move her children to different schools after the cost for both increased by over £8,000 a year, making fees "unaffordable". Speaking to iNews about the effect of the tax, Michelle Daniells, who runs AFIS: The Association for Families of Independent Schooling, says: "The greatest pressure has frequently fallen on families who were already making significant sacrifices because they believed a particular school was right for their child." The article mentions figures from the ISC that show the number of children in independent schools across the UK fell by 30,000 since January last year. By Jane Denton.

In a written question in the House of Commons, Conservative MP Sir Iain Duncan Smith asked what information the Department for Education (DfE) holds on the involvement of the United Front in the purchase of independent schools by Chinese investors since 2014. Responding, early education minister Olivia Bailey said any information the DfE holds on schools is accessible via Get information about schools. 

Teachers will not have to tell parents if their child informs them they are considering changing their gender under newly published schools guidance. The advice says that in many cases there is "no reason" for a staff member to "break any confidence" by sharing the information with the parent. The guidance, which some campaigners have described as "deeply concerning", adds that parents should not be told as long as the pupil does not ask for the school to refer to them as their preferred gender, and no other safeguarding risks are identified. By Daniel Martin, The Telegraph. 

Tes outlines the key changes to the government's Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) guidance, which was published earlier this week. Schools are expected to implement the changes over the summer and be fully compliant by 1 September. The changes include schools now being legally required to ensure they are phone-free environments. By Kyle Tormey. 

Some 200,000 school staff and council workers across England and Wales are to start voting on whether to take industrial action over pay. The ballot of Unison members comes after the union's rejection of a 3.3 per cent pay offer from local government employers, which it said fell short of restoring the value of staff pay after years of decline. Those being balloted from today include teaching assistants, social workers, waste-collection staff, trading-standards teams, housing officers and librarians. By Jabed Ahmed, Tes.

As schools up and down the country prepare for the end of term, many pupils and parents like to buy their teachers a gift. Staff at a school in Lincoln were asked what they like to receive and most said a nice, personal gift that was handwritten or made by the students themselves. Teacher Esther Skelland said it was very special to get nice messages from students and their parents, adding: "It's lovely to hear that your hard work is recognised." By Gemma Dawson and David McKenna, BBC News.

Today's bulletin has been compiled with the help of Aiden, a work experience student from Harris Academy Falconwood.